The present invention relates to game dice, and, more particularly, to a tapered game die that travels in a circle once sliding of the die has ceased, thereby preventing the die from rolling off of the surface onto which it is thrown.
There have been a wide array of dice that have been developed and used as random number generators in conjunction with games and other amusements. The most common of such game dice are the small cubes marked on each face with from one to six spots. However, many other geometric shapes and configurations have been used as game dice. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,226, issued to Palmer, describes a ten-sided die, specifically comprised of two, identical five-sided pyramids. Such a geometrical arrangement reduces the likelihood of side-to-side tumbling of the dice, thereby ensuring true random generation of numbers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,874, issued to Freitas, describes a set of six dice, each die being a dodecahedron (or ten-sided solid) with numbers printed on either eight or nine of its surfaces. U.S. Pat. No. 1,419,056, issued to Kaufmann, describes a die that is preferably a fourteen-sided polyhedron. The die has essentially a first and second portion, each portion having six quadrilateral sides that terminate to form a hexagonal end. The two portions are joined at their respective bases.
Each of these dice, however, often roll and tumble in a line, in a manner very similar to conventional six-sided dice. Such rolling action creates a likelihood that the dice may roll off of the table or surface onto which they are thrown.
It is thus a primary object of the present invention to provide a game die that rolls in a circle once it ceases to slide across a table or similar surface.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide game dice that may be stacked atop one another, thereby allowing for simple storage of the dice.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide game dice that can be tossed conventionally or can be spun like a top for increasing the enjoyment of throwing the dice.